Extra Lessons (Jake)

Having had skipped a week of school, she knew that she was slightly behind, and with her O.W.Ls around the corner, she was nervous that she would not be able to catch up on her own. Although she had tried practising, she found herself unable to do certain things without the proper materials - or in the case of 'Riddikulus', a creature.

After checking her schedule, she found a free period between classes and quickly sent an owl to Jake, asking if it was possible he could give her a helping hand. He had agreed, and so on a Monday afternoon, she made her way up to the second floor, more nervous than exited at finally being able to try the spell. She knocked on the door before entering, immediately noticing the chest.

"Hello Profe-" she started, before remembering her first meeting with him. "Uh, I mean, Jake. Thank you for agreeing to help me." Despite the nerves at what she was about to face, she smiled at him, trying not to think of anything negative.

"I got a Boggart to play with, but before we do that, have you read up on the spell at all?"

She nodded, slightly less enthusiastic than normal, but that was a given, considering what she was about to face. "Riddikulus. It basically forces the boggart to a shape the caster finds funny, because laughter defeats a boggart," she summarized what she had read, not bothering to go into too much detail.

Removing her wand, she traced a bowl like shape in the air. "Is that the correct movement?" she asked, not completely sure.

Her smile grew wider at each mention of her being right. She had spent a lot of time reading up on everything she had missed out on, and having it pay off was a very rewarding feeling. Once he gave her the go ahead, she stepped forward and paused.

Taking a few deep breaths, she tried to mentally prepare herself for what she would see. Already she had a few ideas at to what exactly what shape the boggart would appear, all of them involving Joe. Pointing her wand directly at the chest, she used her free hand to send Jake a quick thumbs up and then waited.

At first, the chest appeared empty, but then a person started to climb out, stopping a few feet in front of her, and she froze, her heart starting to race. Not once did it cross her mind that the boggart would take the form of Josh Murray, but there he was, the smirk obvious. He took a step towards her and she immediately tried to move back, her mind once again bringing her back to that night in the bathroom and the pain she had felt both during and after. Like a scene on replay, she tripped in her haste to get away from the figure of the Slytherin, finding herself suddenly sprawled on the floor as he approached. "R-r-rddikulus," she tried, her voice barely above a squeak. Nothing happened, she she automatically closed her eyes, afraid of what would happen when he reached her.

As she lay there, thinking of the worst, she heard other movement and a voice repeat the spell she had so miserably failed to perform. A whip-like noise told her that the spell had worked, and a few moments later, she opened her eyes to see Jake's hand, which she accepted hesitatingly.

"Are you okay?"

Was she? If she were to answer that honestly, she would have said that she didn't know, that she might be, but that she wasn't truly sure if she could ever get over... - but she merely gave a wavering smile, not wanting to cause worry for any more people, but unable to lie directly to a professor. "I - I forgot it wasn't real," she admitted, a slight flush appearing on her cheeks. "It can't h-hurt me."

Focusing on the job at hand, she nodded at his offer to go again. "I want to get it right," she said firmly, more to convince herself than anyone else. Now that she knew what to expect, she hoped it would go more smoothly. Stepping forward, she gripped her wand tighter than before, a determined look on her face. The chest was again opened by Jake, and, again, the Slytherin Prefect emerged.

This time, she was ready, and she stared him down, willing herself to do what she hadn't been able to do before and stand up to him. Of course, she knew it wasn't really him and that it was merely a creature who happened to be able to make itself look like him, but that didn't really matter to her as she raised her wand, pointing it directly at his smug face.

""I own -"

The Josh-figure had begun to speak, and Brooke could instantly tell what he was about to say; how could she forget? She forced herself to ignore it, thinking back to when she had kissed Joe, the way she felt and they way he had returned the kiss. He had lost. Wasn't that what she had told Joe? "R-riddikulus," she tried, the stutter stopping the spell from doing anything.

Taking a deep breath, she focused, and tried again. "Riddikulus." A loud crack echoed around the place, and at first, nothing seemed to happen. But then the Josh-figure's smirk disappeared, and he - no, it - stumbled, falling down as she had done earlier. Trying to stand up, it tripped again, falling face first into the floor, and she giggled at the sight of the once seemingly faultless person flailing on the floor.

"Well done, Brooke! I'm very proud of you!"

A smile played at her lips, but it was small and wavered slightly. She was glad that she had managed to complete the spell, but the figure that the boggart chose had taken her by surprise, and she was still shaken by it. The nightmares had subsided, coming only once in a few days, but they were still there, and to see such a perfect reflection of the person the dreams revolved around was not something she had expected.

"Would you like another go, or have you had enough for today? Or, maybe something else?"

Accepting the chocolate, she nibbled gently at it, still trying to compose herself. The first question was the easiest: a resounding no was already forming in her mind. She had faced it and gotten the spell right, but she had not conquered her fears, and to knowingly face Josh - even though she knew it wasn't really him - again was most definitely not something she wanted to do.

"I haven't been able to perform the patronus charm," she started, without fully realizing what she was saying. "Not even a small shield one. If... if you have time, could you help me?"

She blushed slightly as the words left her, slightly embarrassed. Spells had always been her forte; they came naturally to her, and to not be able to cast one no matter how hard she tired was frustrating.

She nodded and smiled at his acceptance to help her. "Thank you," she said softly. Half of her was glad for the chance to learn this complicated piece of magic, but she was scared she wouldn't be able to perform.

"You know about a clear, positive memory, right? Of a strong nature to make the spell work?"

Hesitating for a moment, she wondered if she should bring up the worry she had. Finally deciding that she had nothing to lose, she took a deep breath, staring at the floor while she spoke. "I can't find any that work. I don't mean I don't have happy, strong memories, but those come with bad ones tied together... I- I don't know how..." She trialled off, shaking her head. If she were to say anything more, she knew there was a risk she would begin to cry, and that was not something she wanted to happen.

Instead, she lifted her head to look at her Professor, her eyes dry and still relatively bright. "I really, really want to do this, but I just don't know how," she concluded.

She listened as he talked, nodding to show that she was paying attention. While she did know it was a hard charm, she had made it her personal goal to attempt it years ago when she had read about it, and it was frustrating her that she had not been able to produce even a hint of the silvery shield.

"Perhaps you have somebody that means a lot to you that you can focus on, rather than a specific memory?"

She didn't answer him immediately, the information being new to her. She had always thought that it had to be a single memory, and now to learn that it didn't surprised her. Almost at once, Tristan entered her head, quickly followed by Joe, and a small smile started. "Yes, I do," she said softly. "Could I focus on two people at the same time?" she wondered aloud, musing more to herself than the Professor, which was evident as she swallowed the last of the chocolate and raised her wand.

Closing her eyes momentarily, she thought of when she first met Tristan in the hospital, and then of how she felt when the adoption papers had been officially signed; then of meeting Joe, and the butterflies she had when she had kissed him. Jumping from moment to moment, feeling to feeling. A few moments later, with her eyes still closed, she took a deep breath and utter the two words, the six syllabus that had caused her so many problems. At the very last moment, her mind brought forth the fear she had when she was on the bathroom floor, and she hesitated, doing her best to try and keep that thought at bay, concentrating on other things. Feeling a small gush of wind, she opened her eyes excitedly, just in time to see the faintest trace of silver mist disappearing, barely having existed in the first place.

Slight disappointment was to be expected, for she had really tried, but that was soon replaced by the realization that she had actually done it! Sure, it wasn't a perfect patronus, and it certainly wouldn't do much against a dementor, but she had gotten something! "It- it worked!" she commented to no one in particular, a grin forming. "It actually worked!"